A new Ministerial Decree announced today by the Saudi Ministry of Tourism simplifies and speeds up entry into the country. New regulations will enable Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) residents with the option to apply for an eVisa through Visit Saudi's online portal.

A valid tourist or business visa from the UK, US, or one of the Schengen Agreement countries will continue to be valid for a visa on arrival, provided it has been used once.

Additionally, visitors no longer need to visit the Saudi Arabian embassy before entering the country, simplifying the process for potential travellers.

The future of the tourism sector rests on elevating the visitor experience, according to Ahmed Al Khateeb, Saudi Arabia's Minister of Tourism. Saudi Arabia is welcoming more and more visitors from all over the world by harnessing digital innovation and streamlining the traveller journey.

We are on track to achieve our ambitious Vision 2030 goals as we develop a sustainable, resilient and competitive tourism sector for our people."

Tourism bridges cultures and connects communities. It creates opportunities and uplifts neighbourhoods, and I am proud to lead the Ministry as we work to build this future."

Since the launch of eVisas in 2019, over 1 million have been issued.

According to Opensignal, an analytics company measuring mobile network experiences, Kuwait ranks second in the Gulf Cooperation Council in terms of 5G network availability for telecommunications.

Bahrain topped the Gulf countries with 34%, followed by Saudi Arabia, the largest market in the region geographically and in terms of population, with 28.2%, Qatar with 16.9%, the UAE with 15.3%, and Oman with 13.9%.

UAE topped the GCC in download speed through fifth generation technology with 316.8 MB/s, followed by Qatar at 278.5 MB/s, and Kuwait at 263.4 MB/s.

As for download speeds, the UAE ranked first with 743.3 MB/s, Qatar with 713.4 MB/s, Kuwait with 663.7 MB/s, Saudi Arabia with 635.9 MB/s, Sultanate of Oman with 503.5 MB/s, and Bahrain with 469.4 MB/s.

In Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman, peak speeds were recorded at a rate of 2.7 times higher than normal speeds.

In comparison with the download speed, the upload speed through fifth generation technology was significantly slower. Qatar topped the average download speed in the region, then the UAE at 27.6 MB/s, Kuwait at 24.6 MB/s, then Saudi Arabia at 23.7 MB/s. second, then Bahrain at 15.3 MB / sec, and finally the Sultanate of Oman at 13.5 MB / sec.

Using fifth generation network services, the following speeds can be achieved:

- Kuwait ranks first in 5G video experience, at 75 points, being the only market where users have an excellent experience (75 points or higher on a 100-point scale).

- The UAE ranked second at 72.4 points, then Bahrain at 71.5 points, Saudi Arabia at 68.8 points, Qatar at 68.6 points, and then the Sultanate of Oman with 67.9 points.

- The UAE topped the GCC countries in gaming experience via 5G with a score of 74 points, followed by Qatar at 69.6 points, Bahrain at 69.6 points, Kuwait at 67.4 points, the Sultanate of Oman at 61.5 points, and Saudi Arabia at 59.7 points.

- In the experience of voice applications, such as: WhatsApp, Skype, Facebook Messenger, and FaceTime via 5G, Qatar topped with 80.6 points, followed by Kuwait with 79.6 points, the UAE at 79.5 points, Saudi Arabia at 78.1 points, Bahrain at 77.7 points, and the Sultanate of Oman at 77.4 points.

- The fifth generation technology continues to progress in the countries of the Cooperation Council, so that users can enjoy improved speeds, according to OpenSignal.

In Kuwait, the cabinet decided to stop naming streets and roads, except for those that bear the names of the rulers of the State of Kuwait and those of brotherly and friendly countries, and to begin numbering them instead.

Local media reported that the cabinet urged reciprocity when naming the capitals of friendly and brotherly countries.

A decision was made by the Council of Ministers to assign the Minister of Municipality the task of naming streets and roads only after the rulers and numbering them.

Also, the names of existing streets and roads will not be changed, and this only applies to new streets and roads.

Kuwait Airport (T2) will be operated over the next two weeks by an international operator, according to the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation.

Kuwait's civil aviation officials said the operation will be for limited practice to be provided by the Central Agency for Public Tenders (CAPT) involving the operation, management, and improvement of training services, maintenance, and development of a new passenger building and affiliated aircraft hangars, as well as institutional management of the central operation and maintenance of Kuwait's international airport model, as well as the passenger buildings and affiliated operational and service facilities.

A few amendments have been made to the practice papers to change the estimated value of the project, and qualified companies will be invited to submit their technical and financial proposals in accordance with those changes.

10 global operators were expected to submit bids, and their tasks included studying all airport service providers and contracts, whether ground services, passenger buildings or aviation operators, and developing a plan for connecting all airport buildings (1, 2, 4 and 5) so that they operate as a single system and as a single interconnected airport.

The official spokesperson of the Environment Public Authority (EPA) and the Director of Public Relations Sheikha Al-Ibrahim says the ban on smoking within closed and semi closed public places is not just for tobacco cigarettes but also includes electronic cigarettes, electronic hookah (shisha) and any other tools or equipment used for the purpose of smoking, reports Al-Anba daily.

In a press statement, Sheikha Al-Ibrahim said EPA stresses the need to follow smoking restrictions in closed and semi-enclosed public places in accordance with Article No. 56 of the environmental protection law No. 42/2014 and its amendments. She highlighted that EPA continues to publish awareness videos to alert smokers and owners of establishments regarding the necessity of adhering to the regulating laws.

‘No Smoking’
Al-Ibrahim stressed the need to put a “No Smoking” sign in clear locations at the entrances to public places, adding, “In the event that ashtrays are placed outside public buildings, they must be kept away from the entrances by a distance of at least four meters”.

She also highlighted the obligation of all authorities to take the necessary measures to prevent smoking in closed and semi-enclosed spaces, as such a violation exposes the facility manager to a fine of up to KD 5,000, adding that they must allow the presence of private smoking booths that comply with technical specifications and environmental requirements. Al-Ibrahim explained that the public places she is referring to are governmental and private administrative establishments, public benefit associations, their administrative offices, their annexes, and every site that falls within their scope.

Within the framework of the government’s steps taken to address the demographic imbalance in the country, an issue that has been subjected to monitoring, research and discussions for years, and recommendations and solutions, many changes have emerged suggesting that the recent decisions taken by the government towards marginal employment are continuing to resolve the issue after it was proven that many of them did not comply with the rules and regulations and deliberately violated them, reports Al-Qabas daily.

The daily quoting sources said several changes have emerged recently, consistent with a series of new decisions aimed at toughening the penalties for violators of the residence law and has identified seven points where an expatriate can be deported, the latest of which was the recent decision issued by the Ministry of Interior, to reorganize the transport service which targets ‘on call’ and ‘roving’ taxis and in the event it is found the taxi driver has violated the law, the driving license is withdrawn and if the violation is repeated the driver is referred to the deportation center.

In addition, any expatriate driving a vehicle without obtaining a driver’s license exposes himself to direct deportation through the General Traffic Department.

 The head of the Operations Department at the Information Systems Center at the Public Authority for Manpower, Bushra Selim, revealed that the percentage of mechanization of the services offered by the authority reached 90%, with 174 electronic services, reports Al-Qabas daily. Selim said in a television interview that PAM has managed, during the past year, to renew work permits for 1.27 million residents, through the “Ashal” electronic system, in addition to issuing 30,000 permits for the first time.

She announced the authority is on the verge of a new mechanism for issuing new work files, which will be done by linking with the Ministry of Commerce, as part of efforts to complete the link with all government institutions and start linking with Arab and Gulf countries to contribute to preventing fraud and verifying the correct data, pointing out the link at the moment has been completed with 20 government agencies. In turn, the Director of the National Employment Platform Project in the Employment Department of the Authority, Badra Al-Mutairi, said that the authority is working in the context of steps to enable national workers who are reluctant to apply for jobs in the private sector, to change their convictions and directly fill the vacancies offered by companies, through the platform.

Employment
Al-Mutairi stated that all services related to national employment have been automated through the platform, whether in terms of “graduates reward, unemployment insurance, data update, job search” or other financial support services. In another context, the “Manpower” concluded rounds of inspection of workers in violation of the decision to ban work in the afternoon from 11 pm to 4 pm from last June until the end of this August.

The authority announced that it had conducted an inspection since August 21 on 20 different sites, and was able to monitor and record 20 violations against companies that did not comply with the decision. PAM stated that the total number of violations observed since the beginning of June was 360 against companies that did not comply with the decision, while the total number of sites inspected reached 420, and issued 450 notifications during the inspection tours. She pointed out that the total number of workers in the violating sites exceeded 600 workers, while the number of reports received through the hotline reached 20. Statistics following the conclusion of the ‘Ban Work at Noon’ include 360 violations against violating companies. 420 total sites inspected, 450 notifications to avoid violations, 600 workers were spotted at violating sites and 20 reports were received by PAM.

Kuwait Cabinet has declared Thursday, Sept 29 as a public holiday for all state bodies and ministries to hold parliamentary election

For a period of five days, beginning at daybreak on Tuesday, August 30, 2022, the Public Authority for Roads and Land Transport, in coordination with the General Traffic Department, will partially close Al Ghazali Road in both directions. The shutdown will take place from one am until five am in the morning. During the closing times, the authorities advised drivers to observe the directional signs and use other routes.

Members of the demographics committee and specialists have assembled a panel to conduct professional evaluations of recently hired foreign workers, according to a local newspaper.

According to reports, the Civil Service Commission and the Kuwait Society of Engineers have agreed to conduct professional examinations to verify employees' proficiency in all specialties and to reject any applicants who do not fulfil these requirements. The report further stated that while exams will initially only be given to newly hired employees, they will afterwards be given to all foreigners. 

Through a public auction, the Cabinet has approved private companies developing Jahra Corniche.

Providing opportunities for Kuwaiti youth and supporting urban development, the project will also provide entertainment while preserving Kuwaiti identity, according to the report.

Kuwait Municipality has been asked by the Cabinet to prepare to submit the project for an auction in coordination with the relevant ministries. The project’s plans have been almost finalized, as all environmental and financial aspects have been studied and are ready for the ministry of commerce to take over and enlist it for investment.

A development plan prepared by the Supreme Council for Planning and Development includes the project for 2023-24.

Recent data issued by the Public Authority for Civil Information shows the population of Kuwait increased during the first 6 months of 2022 by 78.71 thousand people, as the total population increased from 4.38 million people at the end of December 2021 to 4.46 million at the end of June 2022, reports Al-Anba daily.

The number of new arrivals at the end of June 2022 increased by 65,288 people, bringing their number to 2.96 million, compared to 2.89 million at the end of 2021, while the number of citizens increased for the same period by 13.4 thousand, bringing their number in June 2022 to about 1.5 million, compared to 1.48 million at the end of December 2021. While the total population of Kuwait at the end of last June was about 4.464 million people, 34% of them were citizens, while expatriates accounted for 66% of the total population of Kuwait or 2.96 million.

Official figures show that the number of citizens between the ages of one and 29 is higher than the number of expatriates in that age range, whereas the number of expatriates rises in comparison to citizens over the age of 30. The proportion of expatriates in the over-40 age group is six times higher than that of citizens in that age range. There are 14,20,836 male and female Kuwaiti nationals, and 862,171 of them are between the ages of one and 29. Out of 27,96,064 residents, 685,585 are in the same age group at the same time.

In contrast, fewer people are becoming citizens as they get older, with the number of people between the ages of 30 and 34 reaching 105,417 as opposed to 148,989 for residents. Between the ages of 35 and 39, there are 89,932 citizens, compared to 352,477 residents. The difference between those over forty and those under forty is 71,620 as opposed to 423,968. The situation is similar for those in the 50–54 age group (60,107 citizens versus 302,941 inhabitants), as well as those in the 55–59 age group.

In the senior age groups, there are 17,661 citizens and 33,215 inhabitants between the ages of 70 and 74, 11,089 citizens and 13,315 residents between the ages of 75 and 79, and 10,795 citizens and 10,173 people between the ages of 80 and more.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry will reopen its branch in Jaber Al-Ali on Sunday, September 4, from 8 AM to 1 PM, according to a local Arabic newspaper.

The branch plans to resume providing services to its members in the mentioned area.

The Insurance Regulatory Unit (IRU) decided to suspend the activities of three companies until Sept 30, for committing serious violations, and prohibited them from issuing new insurance policies during the suspension period, until the situation is corrected and the suspension is lifted, reports Al-Qabas daily.

The violations of these companies were as follows — refraining from executing final court rulings related to its activities, refraining from paying fees and fines to monetize legal deposits, non-compliance with completing the deposits law in the event of a shortage and refraining from providing the unit with the data of the complaints against the company. On the other hand, the unit issued an update of the approved list of 28 companies which are now eligible to issue the insurance policy.

 Official data shows that citizens and residents made about 392.94 million payments and withdrew cash during the first 6 months of 2022, an increase of 37.5%, including 107.14 million transactions, compared to the same period of 2021, during which the number of payments and withdrawals of funds were about 285.8 million, reports Al-Anba daily.

From January to the end of June 2022, the cash transactions made through ATMs accounted for 11% of the total transactions carried out by citizens and residents, while online payments were about 28%. Of the total transactions during the same period, there were direct payments through points of sale (PoS) with bank cards accounting for about 61% of the total transactions.

In detail, credit card payments through points of sale (direct purchase) accounted for 61% of the total payments during the period from January to the end of June 2022, including about 240 million direct purchases, including 226.9 million purchases within Kuwait, and 13.13 million credit card purchases through points of sale abroad.

From January to the end of March 2022, spending transactions through points of sale accounted for 118.748 million, including 112.1 million inside Kuwait and 6.64 million abroad, while from April to the end of June 2022, the number of transactions increased to 121.32 million direct purchases, including, 114.8 million operations inside Kuwait and 6.49 million operations abroad. In comparison on an annual basis, the number of purchases through points of sale by citizens and residents during the first half of 2022 increased by 48%, with a value of 77.74 million purchases, compared to 162.3 million transactions they made during the same period in 2021.

The number of transactions on ATMs (cash) accounted for about 11% of the transactions of citizens and residents with their bank cards, with a rate of 43.12 million transactions out of 392.94 million transactions they made during the period from January to the end of June 2022, and cash withdrawals from inside Kuwait accounted for About 41.74 million transactions were made, while withdrawals through ATMs outside Kuwait amounted to 1.38 million withdrawals in 6 months.

The data showed that the number of cash transactions decreased during the second quarter of 2022, reaching 21.66 million transactions from January to the end of March 2022, including 20.94 million transactions inside Kuwait and 726,000 transactions abroad, while the number of transactions decreased during the period from April to The end of June 2022 reached 21.46 million transactions, including 20.8 transactions inside Kuwait and 655 thousand transactions abroad.

Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior said Sunday its General Department of Traffic would start reorganizing the taxi and call taxi services in keeping with the modernization of the traffic system, starting from October 1.

The new regulations, based on ministerial Decrees 421 (1988) and 182 (2004) are made under the instructions of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense and Acting Minister of Interior Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, according a press release from the Ministry’s the General Department of Public Relations and Security Media.

The regulations fall in the framework of the keenness of Higher Security Command in the Ministry to improve the services provided by taxi drivers and to offer better public transportation services to citizens and residents, the statement added.

The new procedures will include auditing the owners taxi companies and the requirements that must be met according to traffic law and its executive regulations and related ministerial decisions. It will include also working in a uniform, with set working hours in line with labor law, in coordination with the Public Authority for Manpower.

The statement explained that taxi drivers must carry a fitness card that would be renewed annually in coordination with the ministry of Health. It stated that all taxi cars must meet all technical and hygiene requirements inside and outside when loading passengers. The ministry warned that the driving license would be withdrawn in case of repeated serious traffic violations and that driver will be referred to final deportation, in addition to registering a note on the owner of the taxi company. (KUNA)

According to informed sources, there is an imminent breakthrough in the crisis related to disbursing end-of-service benefits to expatriate employees whose services in government agencies were terminated during the implementation of the five-year Kuwaitization plan, reports Al-Qabas daily. They explained that some authorities addressed the Ministry of Finance about allowing them to spend from the 2022-2023 budget for providing end-of-service benefits for expatriates whose services were terminated.

The lack of approval of disbursement from the budget has disrupted the disbursement so far. There are a number of former employees whose indemnities have not been paid for more than two years. There are signs now of a move to make available part of the amounts allocated in the item designated for end-of-service benefits in the budget of the parties that requested this, especially since the item was updated in the 2022/2023 budget.

The Kuwaitization plan requires disbursing dues to expatriates whose services have been terminated. The file of disbursing endof- service benefits to expatriate employees whose services have been terminated has witnessed a clear stumble in recent years, especially with the high rate of termination of non-Kuwaiti employees in government agencies, coinciding with the end of the period of the Civil Service Council’s decision to determine the rates of Kuwaitization in jobs.

The failure to pay out led to the transfer of end-of-service amounts from the Civil Service Commission’s budget to the budget of government agencies and ministries “each agency separately, which necessitated the creation of a new clause for rewards in the draft budget 2022/2023 in each government agency. This is what some parties relied on when addressing the Ministry of Finance to make the item available on the automated system so that it can disburse the rewards of its terminated employees”.

In a recent article in some newspapers and on social media, the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) said the news that workers employed by dummy or blocked companies could transfer their residency to legit employers was not accurate, reports Al-Seyassah.

It is clarified by the authority in a press release that the opening of labor grievances is based on articles and items found in the labor law and regulations issued by the authority, particularly administrative decision number 842/2015. 842/2015 regarding the transfer of employees to a new employer (sponsor) and its amendments.

PAM says that the items, regulations, and amendments to the labor law in this regard do not contain any information about the residency transfer contained in the circulating news.

 The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has advised the public to avoid dealing with Forex advertisements, pointing out this is one of the high-risk systems that the Central Bank of Kuwait has warned about, reports Al-Jarida daily.

On its official Twitter account, the ministry urged the public to be wary of advertisements that exploit the images of some celebrities for marketing, attracting customers and encouraging them to trade through unauthorized and fake platforms under attractive titles. The ministry explained that Forex is a decentralized global market operating through various means of communication to exchange currencies and take advantage of price differences in buying and selling currencies.